Line-throwing gun



Feb. 12' 19 24.

J. W. STOCKETT LINE THROWING GUN Filed 001:. 16, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ereafor John W St u ckatt A it orney J. W. STOCKETT Feb. 12 1924.

LINE THROWING GUN Fi led Oct. 16,- 1923 I 2 Sheets -Sheet 2 v INVENTOR r Tnh'n. W. Stricken- @TTORNEY Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOHN W. STOCKE'IPT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

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Application filed October 16, 1923. Serial No. 668,874.

ED ER THE AOT OF MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L., 625.) l

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN V. S'rooKn'r'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of ashington, District of Columbia, have invented an Improvement in Line-Throwing Guns. of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its offi" cers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

The subject of this invention is a line throwing. gun.

It is a usual defect with muzzle loading line throwing guns that the projectile upsets or tumbles after leaving the gun thereby interfering seriously with the proper course of flight of the projectile and often causing rupture or'breakage of the line.

Another fault with 'guns of this character lies in the fact that no provision is made for overcoming the recoil of the gun, the gun and its mount being allowed to slide back ward or to turn a backward somersault.

The present invention aims to overcome such defects by the provision of a gun so constructed that the line may be picked up by the projectile as it leaves the gun thus avoiding any tendency of the line to interfere with the projectile or to be broken thereby and having a recoil check which will take up the shock of discharge and prevent upsetting of the gun and consequent improper flight of the projectile.

Wit-h these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

One practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a gun constructed in accordance with the inven tion, a fragment of the mount being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same;

F 3 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the line carrying ring in place;

F 1g' 4 isa vertical transverse section taken through the trunnions and Fig,- 5 is a view in elevation of the line carrying ring; and

Fig. 6 is a section through the ring.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

In carrying out my invention I provide a yoke 10 formed with a cylindrical shank 11 in which is located an annular groove 12. The shank 11 is adapted to be received with a close turning fit in the mount 13 through a wall of which is threaded a retaining screw 14, the end of which projects into the groove 12 and, while holding the shank in place in. the mount, permits the shank and yoke to rotate so that the gun may be traverse-d.

. A cradle 15 is provided, in the form of a hollow substantially cylindrical casting having trunnions lfi mounted in the usual manner in the yoke 10. A plate or wing 17 depends from one side of the cradle in which is an arcuate slot 18 for the passage therethrough of a binding bolt 19 which extends through an aperture formed in one side of the yoke 10 and on the extending end of this bolt is threaded a wing or lever nut 20 which is operable to bind the parts in set position whereby the gun may be elevated as desired.

Mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the cradle 15 is a gun barrel 21 drilled and tapped near its breech for the reception of a primer nipple 22.

A clamp 23 serves to connect the barrel 21 to a recoil cylinder 24: in which is mounted a piston rod 27 having a head 25 formed with by-passes 26 to permit escape therebeyond of fluid. contained in the cylinder. The extending end of the piston rod 27 is anchored in any suitable manner to a lug 28 depending from the cradle, as by means of a nut 29 which is threaded on the end of the rod and secured in place thereon by a cotter pin 30-. The cylinder is provided with a stufling box 81 at its forward end and with a closure block 32 at its rear end and houses a coiled spring 33 which encircles the piston rod and serves to restore the gun to battery after recoil.

A line carrying ring is preferably used with this type of gun and may be positioned upon the gun at any convenient location so as to be engaged by the projectile fired from the gun as the projectile is propelled from the bore.

As shown the muzzle of the gun barrel 21 is countersunk as at 34:, Fig. 3, for the reception of a ring 35 formed with diametrically opposite eyes 36 to which the line, not shown, may be attached.

The projectile to be used with this gun may be of any suitable type. Excellent results have been obtained with the projectile described in my copending application Serial No. 668,875, filed October 16, 1923.

This projectile 37 is provided with an annular shoulder 38 adapted to contact with the ring 37 when the projectile passes from the gun and carry the ring with it.

As it is desirable that no residue be left in the gun after firing, the propellant charge will preferably. be attached directly to the projectile as described in my above mentioned copending application. Hence a casing 39 of inflammable material, such as nitrocellulose, containing the propelling charge may be secured to the base of the projectile and this casing is so positioned when the round is in the gun that it is in the path of. the flash from the primer as seen most clearly in Fi g. 3.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Vhen it is desired to fire the piece, a suitable projectile 37 having the propellant powder container 39 attached thereto is loaded into the barrel from the muzzle end and a line carrying ring 35 is seated in the counter bore adjacent the muzzle. The primer is ignited propelling the projectile and the powder container 39 from the gun. As the projectile passes from the gun it carries with it the ring and the line (not shown) attached thereto. The shock of recoil is taken up by the liquid in the recoil cylinder and the gun is returned to battery by the action of the spring 33 which is compressed in recoil.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A line throwing gun, including a cradle, trunnions on the cradle, a gun barrel mounted for rectilinear sliding movement in the cradle, a recoil mechanism connected to the cradle. means connecting the recoil mechanism to the gun barrel, a countersunk portion in the forward end of the gun barrel, a ring removably seated in the countersunk portion and line attaching means carried by the ring.

A. line throwing gun including a gun barrel, a countersunk portion in the muzzle of th gun barrel and a line carrying ring removably seated in the countersunk portion of the gun barrel.

3. A line throwing gun, including a gun barrel countersunk at its muzzle end for the reception of line carrying means.

4. A line throwing gun, including a gun barrel counterbored at its muzzle end to provide a seat in the muzzle opening for line carrying means.

JOHN W. STOOKETT. 

